There's been so much of a focus on the actual action that took place in Zimmerman's heinous killing of Trayvon Martin that some of the psychological aspects of the crime have been missed or pushed to the side. For instance, consider the fact that Zimmerman had recorded 46 calls to 9-1-1 prior to this one, providing a record of his bias and mistrust of Blacks. Granted, I haven't heard the calls, so I can't truly speak to the content. However, I would bet money on the likelihood that in most of the calls, Zimmerman reported that the suspect was likely Black. And if that's the case, then the facts suggest that Zimmerman had some sort of racial bias that caused him to view Blacks as a threat, whereas he viewed other ethnic groups as non-threatening.
Now it becomes important to explore more of Zimmerman's background...to look at his home environment, the attitudes and beliefs expressed by his parents and family, the beliefs he came to embrace over the years about various ethnic groups, and the other ways messages were reinforced, as well as the opportunities that were missed to help him develop a more moderate and realistic view of other ethnic groups. Plus, given Zimmerman's Hispanic heritage, cultural views have to be explored.
I'm not suggesting that this needs to be done in order to create some sort of excuse for why Zimmerman did what he did. Quite the opposite...this information would help create a profile of a killer and maybe it can help open the eyes of...somebody...to see that there are still interpersonal and intrapersonal issues that haven't been addressed, but that are boiling just below the surface. Problems and issues that, if continually ignored through a focus on punishment versus prevention and education, will likely result in more and more hate crimes masquerading as self-defense and ignorance.
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